Improvement in trunks



1. w. PARMBNTER.

; TRUNK.

Patented July 29 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

l. WT. IARMENTER, OF NEV YORK, N. Y,

Iuvlenovemi-:NT IN TRUNKS.

Sla-cili-,alion forming part of Letti-rs Patent No. 36,021, dated July 29, ldd?.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known that 1,-1. W. PARMENTER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Trunk; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-'- Figure l is a transverse vertical section of my invention, taken in the line x a', Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section of the same, taken in the line y y, Fig. l; Fig. 3, a detached and enlarged perspective view of a hinge pertaining to the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding Vparts in the several figures.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in trunks, suf-ll as are generally used for traveling, and commonly termed traveling-trunks.

The invention consists in providing the trunk with a series of drawers having folding bottoms, and having the case of the trunk provided with the usual lid,and also provided with a hinged removable front, all arranged in such a manner that any onel of the drawers may be used separately, or all or any one of them have its bottom folded, so as to increase the capacity or enlarge the dimensions of the interior by throwingtwo or more drawers into one, as occasion may require, the drawers at the same time being inclosed, so as to prevent the ingress of moisture.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the case or body of the trunir, of rectangular form, and provided with a lid, B, which is connected to the case or body by hinges c, as usual.

G represents the front side of the trunk, or, rather, the portion of it which extends up l'rom lthe bottom b to a permanentstrip or part,y c, at the top. This front Gis not per- -manently attached to the other parts of the case A, but is connected to the front edge of its bottom b by hinges d, so arranged as to admit of C being readily detached from the case when required. Oueof these hinges is ihown in Fig. 3. The upper part of the front gether by hinges or by tapes 71,.

when unfolded, rest upon cleats i, attached to C may be secured to the case A by means of a lock or any suitable fastening. A lock may also be employed for securing the lid B in a closed state.

D D l) represent drawers which slide into the case A at its front side. These drawers may be supported by cleats e, attached to the sides of the drawers and fitted in grooves f in the inner surfaces of the sides of the case A, as shown in Fig. 2. This arrangement dispenses -with the use of bottom cleats between the drawers, which monopolize considerable room. When these drawers are l shoved fully within the case A, the front C is allowed to close snugly against the case, seas to inclose them tightly within it, and ii'necessary packing or other suitable material may be attached to the edges of C to cause the latter to fit weather-proofl against the case A.

Each drawer D is provided with a folding bottom, E, composed of slats g, connected to- These slats,

the inner sides of the drawers at their lower edges, and when folded they are adjusted against either the front or back sides of the drawers, or part of them against both, as indi' cated in red in Fig. l. The lower drawer, l), of course, does not require a folding bottom.

ln the upper part of the case A, just above the upper drawer, D, there is placed a folding bottom, F, which is arranged precisely like those of the drawers, and when unfolded forms a compartment inthe upper part of the case, access to which is had by raising the lid B. Y.

place larger articles in the trunk-such asv bandboxes, hats, 85e., or coarse clothingthe bottoms of the drawers may be folded, as well as the bottom F, and the whole thrown into.

one compartment, or any number ofthe drawers may have their bottomsV folded, as circumstances may require.

' By having the front Cof the ease A removable it may be used as a writing-desk, and for convenience may be kept detached when not in traveling use.

I am aware that trunks have been provided with drawers, but not, so far as I am aware,

with drawers provided with folding bottoms. I do not claim, therefore, broadly, a trunk provided with drawers irrespective of the folding bottoms of the latter; but

I do claim as new and desire to secure ,by Letters Patent- A trunk composed of a series of drawers, or one or more, placed within a suitable ease and provided with folding bottoms, snbstan tially as and for the purpose specified I. W. PARMENTER Witnesses:

R. GAWLEY,

J AMEs- LAIRD. 

